It's All Madame Vivian's Fault!
by ArchAngel1973
Summary: Set prior to the Crashdown shooting. Just a short little fic about how Michael and Maria might have gotten together.
1. Chapter 1

**It's All Madame Vivian's Fault!**

**By: Archangel1973 in collaboration with xmag**

**Disclaimer: **Characters and plot lines that appeared in the series, the books, and the concept of Roswell are not mine. Belong to Melinda Metz, UPN, etc, etc…

**Pairing: **M&M

**Rating: **Teen

**Summary: **Based on a challenge by xmag. Set prior to the Crashdown shooting. Just a short little fic about how Michael and Maria might have gotten together.

**Part 1**

The desert air was cool as it blew through the open window but it did little to take the edge off of Maria Deluca's temper. She was certain she must have pissed off someone or something out there because lately she'd been having the worst string of luck when it came to dating. She'd just walked out on her Friday night date with Brian Halverson after he'd turned into an eight-handed octopus that expected her to put out on the first date. Her mom was a free spirit and apparently he had come to the conclusion that meant her daughter would be more than happy to have sex with him after a single date.

A single date! She huffed in disgust and ran a hand through her hair. Well, desperate times called for desperate measures. After walking out on her date she'd gotten in her car and driven around town for nearly half an hour before inspiration had struck. If she couldn't figure out what the problem was then she was going to someone who could. Her mom lived and breathed by Madame Vivian's advice. If it was good enough for Mom it was good enough for her!

The woman's house itself was fairly nondescript. If not for the red neon sign in the shape of a hand that flashed in her front window no one would know it was inhabited by a self-proclaimed fortuneteller. The lack of advertisement never seemed to hurt her business though; there was always someone there for a reading. She smiled as a man ducked out of the front entrance just as she parked at the curb. He probably didn't want anyone to know he'd stopped by to have his fortune told she decided as she grabbed her purse and climbed out of the car.

The door opened as she stepped up on the porch and Madame Vivian stood back to usher her in with a subtle nod. "I was expecting you, Maria."

Years ago the woman's greetings had spooked her. She hadn't known what to make of anyone who always seemed to know what you were going to do before you even knew you were going to do it. Nowadays it was commonplace and she didn't think to question it. She'd lost count of how many hours she'd spent at the woman's home while her mom sat through readings that were certain to guide her life in the right direction.

"You've come seeking direction."

See? It was spooky.

She followed the woman into the parlor, the interior darkened with the exception of the muted light that seemed to hang over the round table at the center of the room like some sort of mystical fog. She sat when she was directed to the second chair and she watched her host as she settled into her own chair, thinking as she had many times over the years that it looked like some kind of throne.

Madame Vivian closed her eyes for a moment, inhaling a slow deep breath to center herself before stretching her arms across the table on either side of the crystal ball that lay cradled in an ornate base. She looked expectantly at the young woman and nodded when she reached across to offer her hands up. She slowly turned those hands over, her practiced eyes scanning the lines that crossed the palms and easily determining the dominant hand. She began with the passive hand, her fingertips tracing over the lines, gathering information pertinent to the reading. After a few minutes she switched hands, her focus on the line that ran across the top of the palm.

"You are choosy when it comes to matters of the heart. This has created great difficulty in finding a suitable match."

Maria snorted. "You haven't seen what there is to choose from apparently."

Madame Vivian made no comment in response, simply moving on to the next important line. "You are creative and you crave adventure. What you seek will not be found with an average man."

She frowned as she leaned forward, twisting her head in an attempt to see what the woman was seeing, but she came up blank. They were just lines on her palm, how did that predict anything? She sighed and leaned back when the woman reached up and pressed a fingertip to her forehead. Maybe this had been a waste of time.

"You have a long life ahead of you, a life full of energy and good health."

She was pretty sure she could've gotten that prediction off of the back of a box of cereal.

"Ah," Madame Vivian breathed as her thumbs brushed over the fate line. "All is not lost, Maria. The love of your life is closer than you know."

"Really?" She leaned forward again, wide eyes studying the line the woman was so focused on.

The woman nudged her back out of the way again. "Yes, you already know him. You have known him for many years already."

She'd known him for many years already? Who could he be? That didn't necessarily narrow the pool of possibilities down because it was Roswell, and practically everyone knew everyone else. Well, she couldn't be talking about Alex, she determined. He was like her girlfriend.

"Yes, I see a tall man with hair that…" she shook her head as she tried to describe it. "His hair is crazy, uncontrollable." She studied the line as the images flashed before her eyes. "He has a volatile temper yet he is capable of great kindness." Her expression revealed her troubled thoughts as she slowly dragged one of her long fingernails over the deep line in the girl's palm. "There is something very strange about this man, something…" She leaned back and shook her head as she slowly released Maria's hands.

"Something what?"

"Something that I have no words for." She stared at the young woman for several unnerving minutes. "You must be careful. He is the love of your life but his world is shrouded in secrets."

Maria drove in contemplative silence as she headed back into the heart of town. Time for a little round table discussion with her best friends, she decided as she reached over and turned the radio on. It never hurt to get their input on any situation because they often had good insight into whatever was going on in her life. She wasn't on schedule for the evening shift since she'd had a date but she knew Liz was working and Alex was certain to be hanging out.

Alex turned his head, glancing over his shoulder when the bell over the door jangled, announcing a new customer and his eyebrows lifted when he saw Maria come through the door. "Hey, I thought you had a date with Halverson?" He shot a pointed look at his watch. "It's not even nine o'clock yet."

"Unsuccessful date," Liz guessed as she breezed past them on her way to refill a customer's coffee cup.

"Yeah, you could say that," Maria said as she went behind the counter to fill a glass with her preferred soda. She gave them a recap of her evening after settling down next to Alex and she shrugged when she finished and he had the nerve to laugh. "What?"

"Maria, how can you believe this stuff?" Liz asked, not bothering to hide her laughter. "It's so obviously fake! She makes a living with her false predictions. Mediums, psychics, whatever, they don't exist for real."

"Gotta agree with Liz on this one," Alex agreed, his amusement with the situation drawing an annoyed look from her. Maria's mom had been following so-called predictions of more than one crazy prognosticator for years and her love life was a train wreck. Surely she didn't want to follow in those footsteps.

"You guys, this's different! Madame Vivian is the real deal." Okay, maybe she'd had her doubts over the years but there had been something about tonight's reading that had seemed so real. "Tonight was different," she insisted. "You weren't there, but if you had been, you'd know that what she said was true. She really saw something. How else would you explain her prediction that there's something strange about this guy who's supposed to be my great love?"

"Maria," Alex said patiently, "with the way your luck's been going lately the only strange thing about this guy is that he likes to dress up like a woman." He shook his head at her. "I mean, strange could mean a million different things, and it's so generalized that it probably means nothing. C'mon, there's something strange about everyone in one way or another."

Liz leaned on the counter as she considered what she could add that might be helpful. "Okay, so if you really believe Madame Vivian, maybe you could make a list of candidates and see who fits the bill. She said it's someone you know, right?"

And that gave Maria her next idea.

Back at home she curled up on her bed with a pen and a notepad. She went over the clues Madame Vivian had given her as she prepared to compile her list. "Okay," she muttered to herself, "just follow the clues. He's someone I know." Well, that could be any number of guys. It was a small town and there weren't that many people that she didn't know. "He's someone I've been close to." She wasn't really close to that many guys really and she'd already decided that Alex wasn't in the running. "Hmm, maybe that's more geography than actual closeness. So, probably a guy from school." She frowned as a thought hit her. Surely it had to be someone close to her age and not some old guy! She shook an image of some old forty-something guy out of her mind and went back to her list. "So it definitely has to be someone from school."

Okay, that was a place to start. It was logical and really, it made the most sense. She was sure if it was someone old Madame Vivian would've warned her. So… school. Whoever he is, he's tall, his hair's noticeable, he had a temper and he's weird. She pressed the tip of her pen to her notepad and began to write.

Ken Clovey? He was tall and he had a bad temper, but his hair was so normal. No, it couldn't be him.

John Burroughs? He was vertically challenged and there was that rumor that he'd been caught trying on a girlfriend's high heels. She shook off Alex's comment about the guy possibly being a cross-dresser and marked his name off of the list. No, it wasn't him.

Marcus Levine? He was tall but his hair was long. Nothing wild about his hair. He was one of those people who seemed to have been born too late, like he'd missed his chance to be a hippie in the seventies. Besides he was too laid-back and even-tempered. So no, it wasn't him either.

Who did that leave? She tapped her pen against the notepad thoughtfully and without consciously thinking about it she scrawled out the next name.

Michael Guerin? Her eyes widened when she saw what she had written. He was tall and he had hair that was beyond wild. He had a temper as she'd witnessed on several occasions. Oh, God, no! He was weird. Strange even. He was from the wrong side of the tracks and when he bothered to come to school he only hung out with two other kids, both from the wealthy side of town. Somehow that had never made sense to her. Talk about your opposites attracting!

Damn it! It couldn't be Michael Guerin. Could it? No way! The guy didn't even believe in basic hygiene and he always looked like he'd just rolled out of bed. He sat next to her in history class and his jeans were always covered in colorful stains and he smelled like paint thinner! And on top of that he was worse than just strange, he was scary!

Good Lord, she thought in horror, he fit the bill to a T. There was no way around it. She was doomed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

The next day she met up with Liz and Alex at the Crashdown and gave them a rundown of her list and her conclusion. She rolled her eyes at Alex when she revealed the only name that made sense and he nearly fell off of his chair. He hurried to right himself and shook his head as he exchanged a glance with Liz.

"No, Maria, pick someone else."

"Hey, I didn't pick him. I made a list and after weighing the prospects and weeding out all of those who didn't fit he's what's left."

"Yeah, he doesn't really have a very good reputation," Liz chimed in. She didn't want her best friend to try to get close to the guy.

"Say what you will but I fully intend to investigate him. If he's supposed to be my Petruchio then I have to figure out why I'd ever fall for him."

"Your what?" Alex asked.

"Shakespearean character," Liz clarified. "Although, if memory serves, didn't he marry for money? And basically browbeat his bride into a submissive shadow of herself?"

"Nevermind," Maria interrupted. "Maybe I have the wrong play. My point is, if he's the one I need to figure out why I'd fall for him. If he's some sort of criminal maybe I can get him arrested and voila! That'll be the end of the story and Madame Vivian would be proven wrong." Yep, she decided, the plan was perfect. She'd just go out and prove this guy wasn't meant for her by finding some damning evidence and she'd be able to forget all about that blasted prediction.

"Alex, would you mind taking my shift this afternoon?"

"So you can track this guy down and stalk him?"

"I'll do this with or without your help."

He sighed in resignation and nodded. "Sure, I'll take your shift." He and Liz shared a look as Maria headed out to make her plan. He was sure whatever it was she'd been working on it since the night before and they didn't have a chance of deterring her. She was going to stalk Michael Guerin and all they could do was pray the guy didn't figure it out. He'd kill her if he found out. Or she'd kill him. It was a toss-up.

Maria spent all of Sunday going over her plan until she was sure she had covered every potential scenario. She made sure to get plenty of rest that night, determined to be prepared and when Monday morning rolled around excitement thrummed through her veins. She'd always been aware of his existence, but she'd never really paid much attention to him. Throughout the day she watched him, especially in the couple of classes they shared. And okay, not bad. It wasn't like he was extraordinary but he had potential. Physically of course.

She sat in her car after the school day ended, slouched down in the seat as she kept her eyes peeled for her prey. Considering his attitude and opinion regarding school she was surprised he wasn't the first one out the door. He came out finally and leaned against the flagpole, arms crossed over his chest as he visually scanned the area. She slouched down further when his gaze locked on her car and she breathed a little easier when he looked away.

She peered over the steering wheel and spotted the jeep blocking him from view. Max and Isabel Evans, she realized. She still couldn't figure out what the three of them had in common. She watched him jump into the back of the jeep and she followed after them at a safe distance. Other than the Evans siblings he never talked to other students, which was just weird. Max was one of the smartest students and Isabel was like a super model so it really didn't make sense.

Maybe he was dating Isabel? She wasn't sure why Isabel Evans would lower herself to his level. Would she risk her image and her social standing by officially dating Michael Guerin? It would explain why they seemed so close. But no, she was sure that wasn't the case. For one thing, it'd be all over school. There was no way something like that could be kept on the down low for long. And for another thing, Isabel ordered him around the same way she did Max.

What the hell was going on with the three of them?

She drove on, bypassing their house when they pulled into the driveway. She made a u-turn at the end of the block and parked several houses down. Getting out of the car she slipped between a couple of the houses and worked her way through yards until she found herself at the side of the Evans' home. She lucked out when she heard voices carrying through an open window and she peered inside, catching a glimpse of Isabel leading the way into what looked like a bedroom carrying a tray of sandwiches. She quickly ducked out of sight and pressed herself against the house, staying hidden so she could eavesdrop.

"…something incredible."

She frowned when she only caught the tail-end of Isabel's statement, hoping that one of the guys would say something that would clarify what she was talking about.

"What?"

It was mumbled, obviously because Michael was talking with a mouth full of food. Definitely not an attractive trait.

"Do you have to talk with your mouth full?" Isabel asked, her tone expressing her disgust with his lack of manners.

"I thought you had somethin' incredible to tell us?" He apparently wasn't threatened in any way by her disapproval.

"You've got a groupie."

Isabel's comment was met with stunned silence but it only lasted a heartbeat before Maria heard a thud followed by howling laughter. That definitely wasn't Michael, she thought. Not that she'd ever heard him laugh but she knew for sure it wasn't him. Come to think of it, she'd never even seen the guy smile. She wondered absently why that was.

"I saw that weird Deluca girl keeping an eye on you all day."

Good grief, she only shared one class with both Michael and Isabel and she was sure she'd been completely incognito.

"Um-hmm, based on the way she was looking at you I think she has a crush on you."

That set Max off on another fit of laughter.

She could easily imagine the scowl on Michael's face. That was one look he wore often enough she could picture it without much effort.

"First off, she doesn't have a crush on me. It's one of two things. Either she's onto me for whatever reason and she's spying on me to see what I can do – "

"You do something stupid recently that she could've witnessed?" Max asked.

"Hell no, Max," Michael erupted. "I haven't done anything that'd draw anyone's attention."

"Theory number two?" Isabel prompted.

"She's crazy. I'm a screw-up with a pathetic GPA. Girls aren't interested in guys like me."

The tall blonde snorted, something Maria didn't think she'd ever heard her do before. "You might not exactly be a bad boy, but plenty of girls go for guys who fit the image. Visually you fit the profile."

"Well, I'm not some bad boy," he snapped. "Hell, I don't wear leather, I don't go outta my way to start trouble, I don't play games with the cops, I don't sell drugs, I don't drink, and I don't even date for God's sake! Who the hell would be stupid enough to see me as a bad boy?"

"Michael!"

A door slammed on the heels of her calling his name and Maria barely had time to squeeze herself deeper into the bush she was using as cover before he stormed out of the house. She wondered why he seemed to be bothered by how others perceived him. As a rule he seemed perfectly content to sit back and let others make judgments about him without bothering to correct them. He didn't really seem to care what anyone thought about him.

"He lacks confidence in himself," Isabel commented after a few minutes.

"You know that whole bad boy image thing ticks him off," Max said.

"Yeah, I know. He does fit the profile if the image is all a girl's after though. They don't know what we know. That he's just a guy who's had a bad home life and he's emotionally scarred by it."

"Some of that might not be such a sore spot with him if he could get away from Hank."

"I wish he'd petition for emancipation so he could get away from that creep before he hurts him. Michael deserves so much better than that."

"Yeah, but he's gonna have to be the one to make the decision to pursue that option. We can push it but in the end it's his choice."

The conversation eventually drifted away from Michael and Maria slowly made her escape. Her mind was going over all that she had learned as she slipped through the neighborhood to her car. It was disturbing on many levels and she wasn't sure how to proceed. There was obviously so much more to Michael than she had first assumed.

He'd openly admitted to being a screw-up. Why would he say that? Was he really convinced that he was so worthless? She had heard Hank Whitmore's name mentioned around town and it had never been in relation to anything pleasant. She'd never given his last name much thought but in this new light she knew he had to be somehow related to Michael.

The talk about Michael being hurt… did that mean he was a victim of child abuse? And his reaction to being seen as a bad boy. To her it showed some depth to his character. He wasn't interested in the superficial. Guys in the bad boy category generally loved to do stuff that made people notice them, things that drew the attention of girls.

Michael was just the opposite. He wasn't a bad boy. He was a hurt boy and that was a major difference.

Decision made, she began planning the next step in her investigation.


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3**

Maria was forced to wait for the right time to put the next step of her plan into action. But a not-so-quick conversation with Beth Wilson had given her all the information she needed. And now she was trying to convince Liz and Alex to work with her.

"Look, the office staff just went into a meeting but it's only gonna last like half an hour so I have a very limited window if I'm going to get in there and have a look at his file. I need you guys to act as my lookouts."

"Maria, it's an insane idea!" Liz hissed. "You're breaking into the school records and that's a pretty serious offense if you get caught."

"But I won't get caught with you guys keeping an eye out and distracting anyone who comes in before I get back out."

Alex sighed. "You know she's gonna do it whether we help or not."

"Fine, but make it quick because we're all dead if you get caught."

Maria nodded and with a quick grin she ducked into the file room. The room wasn't that large and it was lined with wall-to-wall file cabinets. The drawers were all labeled and thankfully it had been kept alphabetized so locating the drawer housing the letter G only took a few seconds. She pulled it open and flipped through the files until she found his and she pulled it out and flipped it open.

His address wasn't that surprising. The trailer park at the other end of town wasn't the kind of place most people frequented. It was a dump. She'd seen some of the people in town who lived there and most of the townies stayed away from them. Her eyebrows lifted when she glanced over his stats and learned he was a foster kid. Hmmm, that was interesting. She was pretty sure she'd overheard some women talking at the supermarket some time back about Max and Isabel being adopted or something like that. Maybe Michael was their brother. But if that was the case, why hadn't the Evans' adopted him too? Maybe he was too much to handle or maybe they only wanted one boy and one girl?

Maria returned the folder to its place and quietly closed the drawer before slipping back out of the room. "I've got his address. Next step is to pay a visit to his home."

"Now you've really gone too far, Maria." Liz shook her head in disapproval.

"Liz is right, Maria," Alex tried to convince her. "You've gotta let this thing go."

But she couldn't. She'd come too far to just drop her investigation now. No, she had to know more about Michael Guerin. Throughout the rest of the day they used every opportunity they had to change her mind about following the guy but they couldn't get past that wall of stubbornness she put up once she set her mind on something.

After school Maria scoped out the front of the building, keeping an eye out for Michael. A frown settled on her features when the school emptied out and there was no sign of him. Maybe he cut out of the last class of the day. She knew he'd been in school earlier because he'd been in their history class wearing that same bored expression he usually wore.

She was on the verge of going home when she caught sight of a familiar black jeep in the rearview mirror. The top was down so it was easy to identify Michael in a casual slouch as he drove past her car. That was weird, she thought. She couldn't remember a time she'd ever seen him driving any vehicle. She wondered where Max and Isabel were even as she cranked her car up and pulled away to follow him.

Maybe she'd be able to find out what he did when he was on his own. At first she thought he might have a job after school but most of the jobs held down by high school kids were in town and he had just driven past the city limits sign. Several miles out of town he took the exit to the old quarry. She hung back, giving him time to drive past the sagging gates that had been erected to prevent trespassers but had long ago stopped being functional.

It took a little while to find a suitable spot to hide her car from sight and then she quietly got out and walked the rest of the way. Once inside she looked around, discreetly searching for any sign of him. How could he simply disappear? The quarry was enormous but there weren't a lot of places for anyone to hide. Maybe he had managed to get past her while she was hiding her car and she was all alone out here. "Where on Earth is that Michael Guerin?" Furious at being duped she planted her fisted hands on her hips and stared at the water below. "Trust him to make my job more complicated!"

"Your job?" a voice asked out of nowhere. "I think it's time for us to have a serious talk."

She whirled around and came face to face with Michael and she actually took a step back at the look on his face. Yeah, pissed off didn't even begin to describe that expression. Great, here she was out in the middle of nowhere, alone, with a very angry Michael. Maybe it hadn't been such a great idea to follow him. Her breath locked up in her throat when he stalked over to her and grabbed her arms in a tight grip.

"Why have you been following me the past few days?"

Her mind scrambled to come up with an answer. She couldn't exactly deny it. She'd already admitted she was at the quarry looking for him and he'd obviously heard her say it. She sighed heavily, knowing there was no way out of admitting the truth to him. How embarrassing! "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Either you talk or you're getting dumped in the water. Long ride back into town in soaking wet clothes."

"Try anything like that and I'll kick the family jewels so hard you'll never have to worry about having children."

"Not gonna have any anyway, so talk."

"Why would you say that?" she demanded, forgetting for a moment that he was the one asking the questions. "Everyone wants children. They're a legacy, proof of your time on Earth, your opportunity to leave a lasting mark. They're another person to love, to cherish, to care for…" she trailed off when she realized he was looking at her like she'd just grown a second head.

"Proof of my time on Earth? Because you think I wanna leave a mark on this rock? All I wanna do is forget Earth and for Earth to forget about me so that means no brats, got it?"

She drew back at the vehemence in his voice. What was his problem? "Why're you so upset about what I said about children?"

"None of your business," he insisted rudely. "Stop trying to change the subject. I asked why you've been following me and I want an answer."

She blushed slightly and drew in a deep breath, deciding she might as well just go for broke and admit the embarrassing truth to him. "You're gonna laugh. You're gonna find me ridiculous. Stupid. Crazy." Well, if he didn't already. "I don't care though. I'm just gonna tell you the truth."

He crossed his arms over his chest, the pose more than a little intimidating when combined with the lethal look on his face.

"I don't have much luck with guys. They're either an octopus with eight hands or about as interesting as a bowl of dirt." Yeah, it really was as embarrassing as she thought it would be to admit this to him. "So I went to see a medium and she told me I was going to have a great love, someone I already knew, and some other stuff as well, and that led me to believe that, well, it was you she was talking about. I was having a hard time believing it myself so I decided to investigate you a little and… voila."

He stared at her, slack-jawed and speechless, his eyes wide with disbelief. "You're screwing with me, right? This's all just some big joke to you. Where're you two shadows?" He turned and scanned the area. "Hiding out there, filming this for posterity? Well, screw you! I'm not some toy for you to play with."

And without another word he turned and stalked off.


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 4**

Maria ran after him, rushing to her car where it was hidden, and quickly jumping in so she could follow him. It didn't take long for her to lose him though because he hadn't had to go as far as she had to get in the car. Most of the time when he was in town he was with Max and Isabel so she decided to start there, but when she drove by the jeep wasn't in the drive so she knew he wasn't there.

She drove around town for a while, scanning the streets and shops, and coming up empty again. After a while she decided to drive out to the trailer park to see if she could find him there. She made a face at the broken sign hanging over the entrance, the rusted poles barely supporting the single chain the sign dangled from. She'd seen trailer parks that were well-maintained and cared for, small communities that housed residents who cared about their homes and surroundings.

This wasn't one of those communities. It was an eyesore and the lack of concern for the homes and property was appalling. The trailers were in various states of disrepair, the ground was barren and crisscrossed by ruts created by vehicles driven over the ground when it was muddy. What little grass there was grew in weedy patches, yellowed by the unforgiving sun and the hot dry air.

Most of the addresses were painted on the ends of the trailers, looking like someone had carelessly slapped them on with a paintbrush. Most of them were peeling off, which made determining the numbers something of a challenge. She passed one trailer with a pile of old tires leaning precariously on one side of it. Another one had a makeshift fence compiled from various materials around the small yard. One had a ratty-looking dog chained to a spike that barely gave the animal six feet of space to move around in. The one next to it had most of its windows boarded up and the screen door hung from a broken hinge, tied to the small porch railing to hold it open.

She knew she was getting close based on the numbers and she inhaled slowly when his trailer came into view. The jeep was nowhere in sight, but she knew she had the address right. She had been driving around for some time now so he must have gotten the jeep back to Max and Isabel before coming home. She cautiously parked at the edge of the driveway and opened her door, not absolutely certain it was all that wise to get out of her car.

She was closing the door when she heard a loud crash followed by angry shouting coming from the trailer. That little voice warning her to leave was overshadowed by her fear of something happening to Michael and without thinking it through she ran up to the trailer. She was stopped in her tracks when the door was thrown open with force and Michael came out with such momentum she was certain he had to have been pushed.

He barely caught himself on the rail and her breath caught in her throat when the old wood creaked and moaned before giving way. He was scrabbling to catch himself and nearly had a hold on the opposite rail when a booted foot came through the open door and kicked him, sending him sprawling to the ground below.

"Oh my God!" She rushed forward without hesitation, leaning over and grabbing Michael's arm. He jerked away from her as he rolled over to get to his feet and she inhaled sharply when she saw the bruise already forming around his left eye.

"Yeah, that's right, go cryin' to somebody who'll baby you."

She turned her head to look at the man who was spewing the hateful words and her eyes narrowed when they landed on the miserable excuse for a human being. This was the man who had been charged with caring for Michael? What kind of system could allow that to happen? He was mean-spirited and obviously drunk but that was no excuse for the type of behavior she'd just witnessed.

"This your girlfriend, Mickey?" He laughed drunkenly, the sound hateful and cruel. "Freak like you couldn't do better anyway. Better take what ya can when you wanna get laid, huh?"

Okay, that hurt, she thought, but refused to let it show. She glanced at Michael as he picked himself up off of the ground and her temper flared fresh and hot. She stalked up onto the rickety porch, fingers of her right hand curling into a fist as she approached Hank. The white tank top he wore was stained and he reeked of alcohol and somehow that only added to her fury as she let her fist fly. She caught him squarely on the jaw, knocking him back and down, a feat she was certain she wouldn't have been able to achieve had his reflexes not been dulled by alcohol. She leaned into the dingy trailer to look down at him, pleased when she realized he was out cold.

Without a word she retraced her steps to Michael's side, took his hand and pulled him with her over to her car. "Can I take you somewhere?" Maybe he wanted to be with Max and Isabel. The conversation she'd overheard just a couple of days ago between the brother and sister made sense now and she knew they were aware of his situation at home. "We could go to my house?"

Michael shook his head. "The quarry," he finally croaked out.

She nodded and they got into the car. The drive was made in silence and when they arrived at the quarry he pointed wordlessly, guiding her through the twists and turns until they reached an area near the water. He climbed out and paced back and forth for a while before bending over to snatch up a handful of stones, silently throwing them into the water and watching them skip neatly across the surface before sinking.

After a while he seemed to collect himself and he turned to look at her. "Why were you at the trailer park?" he asked, his voice surprisingly level.

"The story I told you earlier? It was all true. I couldn't believe it myself but over the past couple of days I've seen something special in you. You're not the guy I thought you were. I like to think I'm above stereotyping people and I'm ashamed to admit that's exactly what I did with you. I just assumed you were this guy who was into trouble, whether it was starting it or just getting into it. And the truth is so much more than that. You've obviously got a home life that's horrible, there's a lack of confidence, and you deserve so much more than you've been given."

She paused and looked at him, hiding her surprise when he didn't immediately go on the defensive. "I don't know if Madame Vivian was right or wrong. But I do know I don't regret following you around and I'd be honored if you'd be my friend."


End file.
